Super Rugby boards drag chain on diversity front
Kiwi Super Rugby franchises have dropped the ball on female representation on their boards. Zoe¨ George reports.
New Zealand Super Rugby franchises are losing when it comes to female board representation, with four out of five only having one female board member, while the Highlanders have no women.
Women make up about 12 per cent of directors on New Zealand Super Rugby franchise boards, at a time when Sport NZ is pushing for boards to have at least 40 per cent.
The object is to attract a broader range of ideas, highlighting aspects an all-male board would be unlikely to pick up, and to increase opportunities for women in sports administration.
The lack of women on rugby boards was brought into stark focus this week when Rugby Australia was slammed for the lack of diversity on its board after the most recent round of nominations failed to include a woman.
Highlanders chief executive Roger Clark said no women were putting their names forward for the board.
‘‘Gender equity at a board level is something that we are always mindful of,’’ he said.
‘‘At present only 37.5 per cent of our board positions are available for independent directors – that are appointed through a nomination process – and as it stands we have not had any female applicants for those positions. We would welcome capable directors from a range of diverse backgrounds.’’
Super Rugby is overseen by Sanzaar. Its own board is made up of executives from rugby unions from Australia, Argentina, New Zealand and South Africa, with each nation providing two representatives.
Only one woman – Raelene Castle, Rugby Australia’s chief executive – sits on the Sanzaar board. New Zealand Rugby chairman Brent Impey is the chairman.
According to Sanzaar, it doesn’t have any governance of Super Rugby teams as the franchises are ‘‘under the management of the respective nation unions’’.
Sports bodies that receive more than $50,000 of Government funding are required to have 40 per cent female representation on boards by the end of 2021.
Super Rugby franchises are commercial entities and fall outside the government quota requirements.
As the New Zealand Super franchises are ‘‘under the management’’ of NZ Rugby, an organisation that does receive government funding, a quota could be put in place.
At the Hurricanes, where there’s only one female director, acting chair Iain Potter said when opportunities for diversity arose, it would be ‘‘encouraged’’.
‘‘There is no denying that having diversity amongst board members is an asset to any entity,’’ he said. ‘‘Due to its private and commercial nature, the process of achieving that goal is different and comes down to who our investors decide should sit on the board.’’
Investors in commercial entities, such as Super Rugby franchisees, want the best for business.
Having a diverse board is good business, said Auckland Business Chamber chief executive Michael Barnett.
‘‘It affects the thinking and the culture of the board which in turn impacts on the business and the organisation,’’ he said.
‘‘To say we just select the best people for the role . . . ignores the importance of difference and the way difference thinks.’’
Quotas, however, shouldn’t be introduced for commercial sports bodies, such as the Super franchises.
‘‘There should be a culture of diversity and difference in any organisation, the consequence of which delivers diversity,’’ he said.
Research from the Institute of Directors last year found 64 per cent of directors said diversity was a key consideration in making board appointments.
Institute chief executive Kirsten Patterson said a diverse board was also good for an organisation’s culture and link to social responsibility.
‘‘Boardroom diversity benefits and strengthens an organisation’s social responsibility performance. Diverse organisations are more successful retaining talent, more likely to innovate and manage their risks,’’ she said.
‘‘Mixed gender boards have fewer instances of fraud. They make better decisions, are more resilient, often are more creative and innovative.’’
Directors had a duty of care and various legal, commercial and ethical duties, Patterson said.
‘‘They have a responsibility to ensure their organisation trades sensibly, to protect creditors. They should be honest and of good character.
‘‘Directors should have the sorts of skills, attributes and expertise relevant to the board they’re on. Their first duty is to ‘act in good faith’ and do best for their organisation.
‘‘They will usually have been through a selection process and the kind of background checks you’d expect.’’
Linda Noble, chief executive of Governance New Zealand, said diverse boards impacted all business sectors, including sport.
‘‘Without diversity, there is a risk of ‘group think’ – the phenomenon whereby we engage only with those who share a similar view,’’ she said.
‘‘In doing so, we can stifle other perspectives and may not see business disruption coming.’’
But Noble said there were big barriers facing women when it came to applying for board roles.
These include uncertainty about their skills, a lack of confidence or ‘‘imposter syndrome’’, lack of opportunities, not knowing about the recruitment process for board roles, poor interviewing techniques and a lack of time.
‘‘I believe finding solutions that will overcome these barriers are providing women with training opportunities to upskill, mentoring to boost confidence and support for on-going development,’’ she said.
‘‘This will not only get women board-ready, it will also ensure they are engaged and effective once they are on a board.’’
Governance NZ, along with the Institute of Directors, offers diversity and inclusion training, workshops and mentoring for individuals and organisations.
It has also established the Women in Governance Awards which acknowledge women who are contributing to boards, across all sectors, with the awards in early June.